More specifically, the present invention provides an improvement in portable appliances of the type mentioned that adapts the appliance for use either as a floor waxer or as a floor scrubbing and rug shampooing device.

Since a power operated floor waiter and rug shampooing device normally rests upon one or more motor driven brushes, the motor of such a device should never be energized except when fully under the control of an operator who is controlling the device by means of the propelling handle when the handle is in the normal operating position. If the motor is energized without the device being under the control of an operator, the device will move about the floor with the possibility of damaging objects in the vicinity. Suitable safety devices to prevent energization of the motor of power operated floor polishers except when the handles are in the normal operating position, are known in the art.

It is highly desirable to have the dispensing of the waxing or cleaning agent closely coordinated with the operation of the device under the control of an operator.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved and novel combination of means for insuring that the waxing or cleansing agents will be dispensed only when the power appliance is being operated under the normal control of an operator.

A further specific object is to provide a novel and improved device wherein a single actuating element controls both the energization of the brush driving motor and the dispensing of the waxing or cleansing agents.

The appliance of the general category mentioned above has a basic mechanism which is utilized whether the device is being used as a floor polisher or waxer or a rug shampooing device. To adapt to one use or the other, it is only necessary to change the surface engaging brush and apply the appropriate treating agent to the surface being treated. However, for one use the treating agent should be applied directly to the brush, while for the other use the agent should be applied directly to the surface being treated.

Accordingly, another object is to provide an improved means for controlling the dispensing of the treating agent and for directing the treating agent to the appropriate point of application.

Other and further objects will become readily apparent from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surface treating apparatus, such as a floor cleaning, polishing and waxing device, in accordance with the preferred form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial elevational view, partly in section, of the device shown in FIG. 1, showing the propelling handle in the inoperative upright position;

FIG. 3 is a partial detail sectional plan view on line III-4H in FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a partial elevational view, partly in section, similar to FIG. 2, but showing the propelling handle in the sidewise operative position;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view, partly in section,

with one end of the liquid dispensing tube shown in exploded relation to the housing on which it is carried;

FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view, partly in section, illustrating one of the two positions in which the liquid dispensing nozzle may be carried by the housing for directing the application of treating liquid;

FIG. 7 is a partial elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the alternative position for the liquid dispensing nozzle for directing the application of treating liquid;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an alternative embodiment of the liquid container and dispensing means including an alternative form of dispensing valve;

FIG. 9 is a partial elevational view, partly in section, 01": the form shown in FIG. 8, but illustrating the manner in which the valve is opened by flexing the dispensing tube.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention provides a novel improvement in a portable surface treating device in which a single actuating control element controls the locking mechanism for the operating handle, the position of which in turn controls the energization of the driving motor; the same control element also being arranged to control the dispensing of the treating agent.

Although in the broadest sense, apparatus to which the present invention relates may be categorized as surface treating apparatus, for purpose of clarity and simplicity, the appliance will be referred to herein as a floor polisher. Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 represents the main housing or supporting structure of a floor polisher having a rotatable brush 11 driven by a motor 5. The polisher is adapted to be propelled and guided by an operator by means of a handle 12 pivotally connected to the housing 19 by \a pin 13. The floor polisher normally rests upon the motor driven brush 11. The most convenient and logical position for the propelling handle 12 when the polisher is not in operation is directly above the polisher, in the upright vertical position illustrated in FIG. 2, which may be considered a stable and natural resting position. When the handle is in this position it would be difiicult to control and guide the polisher and accordingly it is desirable that the motor be deenergized and that no treating agent be dispensed.

When the handle 12 is inclined to one side, as shown in FIG. 4, it will be in the best position for the operator to control and guide the polisher. The motor will be energized when the handle is in this latter position, as hereinafter explained in greater detail. To unlock the handle 12 to permit it to be pivoted to the inclined operative posi tion, the present invention provides a novel arrangement wherein a single actuator unlatches the handle 12 to permit its pivotal movement, which then permits a spring biased safety switch to close to energize the motor. After the handle is inclined far enough to cause energization of the motor the actuator may be further operated to dispense the treating liquid.

T 0 this end, as shown in FIG. 2, a switch 16 is provided for controlling the energization of the motor finom a suitable power source. The switch 16 has a stationary contact 17 and a movable contact 18' carried on a suitable leaf spring conductor 15, positioned to normally bias contact 18 into engagement with contact 17. An actuator element 19 is carried by the leaf spring 15. When leaf spring 15 is deflected to the position shown in FIG. 2 when the handle 12 is in vertical upright position, contacts 17 and 18 are separated to open the motor circuit. The propel-ling handle 12 is locked in the upright position by means of a transverse pin 30, the outer portions of which respectively engage a pair of notches 21 on the main housing 10. The upper part of the housing 10 is in the form of a frustrum of a cone but has two upstanding parallel ribs 23 and 24- in which the notches 21 are formed. The pin 13 on which handle 12 is pivot-ally connected to the housing 10, engages holes in the ribs 23, 24. The outer extremities of the ribs are provided with cam surfaces 25 adjacent the notches. The transverse locking pin 36 extends through elongated slots 26 in the sides of the handle 12 and is biased against the lower ends of the slots as by a tension spring 27. As the handle 12 is pivoted in counterclockwise direction from the sidewise operative position toward the inoperative position, the pin 38 rides up over the cam surfaces 25 and then drops into the notches 21, thus locking the handle 12 in the position shown in FIG. 2.

The handle 12 has mounted thereon, by means of a suitable bracket 31 and a spring clip 32 fixed thereto, a container or reservoir 33 for treating liquid, which may be liquid wax for waxing operations and a foaming detergent tor rug or carpet shampooing. As will be discussed later the liquid wax is directed onto the floor being waxed while the shampooing agent is directed onto the brush.

A liquid dispensing tube 34 is connected to the bottom of the container 33 and is provided with a suitable nozzle 35, which, as explained hereinafter, is positioned to direct the treating liquid in accordance with the operation being performed.

Although it will be readily apparent that the reservoir may take a variety of forms, in the preferred form chosen for illustrating the invention, the reservoir 33 is made of plastic and has a valve seat 35 molded in the bottom thereof concentric with a nipple 37 projecting downwardly from the bottom of the reservoir. The flexible dispensing tube 34 is connected to the nipple 37. Cooperating with the valve seat 35 is a valve member 38 for controlling the discharge of treating liquid. The valve member 38 is in the form of a cylindrical plug having a hemispherical bottom portion adapted to engage the valve seat 35. The valve member 38 is attached to a valve stem or rod 39 adapted to be actuated, through a suitable operating connection, by a finger actuator or trigger 41 which is also adapted to actuate the locking pin 30 to permit the propelling handle 12 to be pivoted to its inclined operating position. The valve 38 is normally resiliently biased against the valve seat 35 by a compression spring 42 encircling the lower end of the rod 39, the upper end of the spring 42 being held by cup-like member 43 attached to the bottom of the reservoir.

One of the salient features of the invention resides in the novel arrangement for operating by a single actuating element, namely, the actuator 41, both the handle locking pin 30 and the liquid dispensing valve 38.

Carrying out this object, a flat flexible metal strap 43 is connected to the trigger actuator 41 and the locking pin 30; the upper end of the strap 43 having a hole for receiving the headed end of an arm 44 on the actuator 41 while the lower end of the strap 43 is provided with a loop 46 surrounding the pin 30. The actuator 41 has a tang 47 which extends through a slotted opening 48 in the handle 12, the lower edge of the opening serving as the fulcrum point for the actuator 41. Opposite the slot 4-8 in the handle 12 is a slot 49 which accommodates pivotal movement of the actuator 41 about its fulcrum point at 48.

In order to coordinate the operation of the locking means for the handle 12 and the control of the liquid dispensing valve 38, a braced arm 51 in the form of a generally U-shaped clip is attached to the metal strap 43. The legs of the metal clip have outwardly bent portions 52, 53. The strap 43 has an elongated slot 56 through which the legs of arm 51 project and the outwardly bent portions 52 and 53 are suitably fixed to the strap 43 as by spring action of arm 51, thus securely holding the arm 51 in the extended position shown.

The two legs of the U-shaped arm 51 are provided with aligned slots 57 and 58, respectively, through which the upper end of the valve rod 39 extends. The upper extremity of this rod 39 is provided wth a ball nut 61 which is engaged by the upper side of the upper leg of the arm 51 when actuator 41 is moved in clockwise direction to a point where the arm 51 is in the dotted position in FIG. 2, causing the strap 43 to pull the locking pin 30' out of the notches 21. Any further clockwise movement of the actuator trigger 41 lifts the valve 38 from the valve seat 35, thus dispensing the treating liquid.

To insure that the valve 38 cannot be opened until after the handle 12 has been unlocked and pivoted to the operative position, which permits the contacts 17 and 18 to close and start the operation of the motor 5 and the brush 11, a suitable bracket 62 is provided, having a finger 63 to limit theupw-ard movement of the pin 30, until the handle 12 has been pivoted in the clockwise direction suflicient to permit contacts 17 and 1-8 to close, thus energizing the motor. The outer end of the finger 63 is curved upward slightly at '65 to provide a camming action on pin 30, should the latter be at the extreme upper end of slots 26 as the handle 12 is being returned to the inoperative position.

From the above it will be seen that an operator need operate only the actuator member 41 in order to unlock the handle to permit it to be pivoted to start the polisher, and to dispense the treating liquid. The amount of movement of the actuator 41 distinguishes between the two functions, since the first part of its clockwise movement only unlocks the locking pin 30-, and after the handle has been inclined sufficiently for the locking pin to clear the stop finger 63 the operator can operate the actuator 41 further at will, in the same direction, to open the valve 38.

When waxing a floor it is desirable to have the liquid wax dispensed directly onto the floor, whereas for rug or carpet shampooing operations, it is desired that the shampooing agent be dispensed directly onto the brush. To carry out this objective, the nozzle 36 on the end of the flexible dispensing tube 34 is preferably made of pliant plastic or a rubber substitute material. Because this nozzle is made of a pliant material its cylindrical end 71 can be frictionally retained in an aperture '72 in an annular flange or skirt 73 on the lower part of the main housing 10, as shown in FIG. 6. The aperture 72 is in a portion of the skirt that flares outwardly and slightly downwardly above the brush 11 so that the nozzle 36 will be directed inwardly toward the brush 1 1, which inherently flares outwardly under the influence of the weight of the polisher and the rotational action. Consequently, treating agents of a detergent nature may be directed onto the brush.

-As shown in FIG. 7, to hold the nozzle 36 in a position beyond the skirt 73 of the housing so as to direct a waxing agent directly onto the floor, the nozzle 36 is provided with a pliant, but relatively stiff, integral supporting strap or web 74 on the other end of which is a plug 7-6 of pliant material similar in size and shape to that of the cylindrical end 71 of the nozzle. For dispensing the waxing agent the nozzle 36 is removed from the hole 72 in the housing skirt 73 and the plug 76 is inserted therein, thereby positioning the nozzle 36 beyond the outer edges of the skirt and the brush 11.

LAJl alternative form of the liquid dispensing mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this form, a suitable container 80, made of inexpensive material, such as thin metal, is suitably attached to the handle 12 and is provided with a valve assembly 85 attached to the bottom of the container. The manner of attaching the container to the handle constitutes no part of the present invention and, therefore, is not illustrated.

Projecting from the bottom of the container 80 is a threaded discharge conduit 82 provided with internal flanges 83. A valve body 87, preferably made of rubber, has an annular flange 88 held in liquid tight engagement with the underside of flanges 83 by a cap-like member 84. The latter has threads engaging the threads on the conduit 82 and inturned flanges 86 which hold the rubber flange 88 against the flanges 83. The valve body 87 has a depending nipple 89 and is provided with a central orifice 91, flared outwardly at 90. A disc valve 92 has a stem 93 extending downwardly through the valve orifice. Surrounding the upper extremity of the flared orifice is an annular ledge 94 constituting a seat for the valve 92. The valve 92 is resiliently biased against the valve seat 94 by a spring 96 suitably secured to the internal flange 83 on the discharge conduit 82.

The nipple :89 is provided with an annular recess concentric with the valve orifice, and this recess is adapted to receive the upper end of a flexible tube 97 and a coil spring 98 surrounding the upper end of the tube. The relative size of the recess and the outside diameter of the spring is such as to cause the spring to be cfrictionally retained within the recess in the nipple. The upper end of the flexible tube 97 extends slightly above the upper end of the spring 98 so that the tube is in liquid tight engagement with the upper end of the recess in the nipple 89. The tube 97 is of the same size and of the same material as the tube 34 of the previous embodiment. The lower end of the tube 97 has aflixed thereto a nozzle 36, as in the previous embodiment.

As clearly shown in FIG. 9, the valve 92 may be opened to dispense liquid wax or a rug shampooing agent :from the container '80 by flexing the upper end of the tube 97 and the spring 98 in such a manner that the inside surface of the tube engages and moves the lower end of the valve stem 93 to one side, tilting the valve 92 from one side of its seat '94. The tube 97 may be rflexed to one side by means of a suitable string 99, or the like, attached to the lower end of the spring 98 as shown in 'FIG. 8. Alternatively, the string could be attached to the tube 97 adjacent the lower end of the spring. The upper end of the string may be attached to the handle 12 in any suitable manner, so that it will be convenient to the operator.

While the invention has been shown in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a supporting structure, a treating brush carried by said supporting structure, a propelling handle pivotally connected to said supporting structure for pivotal movement from between an upright vertical position above said supporting structure to an inclined position to one side of said supporting structure, latch means operably associated between said handle and said supporting structure for holding said handle in the upright vertical position, a reservoir for containing a treating liquid mounted on said handle, a flexible conduit connected to said reservoir and having a discharge nozzle for directing a treating liquid to a predetermined point relative to said brush for treating operations, valve means between said reservoir and said nozzle for controlling the flow of treating liquid through said conduit and single means on said handle for operating said latch means and for controlling the operation of said valve.

2. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a supporting structure, a treating brush carried by said supporting structure, a propelling handle pivotally connected to said supporting structure for pivotal movement between an upright vertical position above said supporting structure and an inclined position to one side of said supporting structure, latch means operably associated between said handle and said supporting structure for holding said handle in the upright vertical position, a reservoir for containing a treating liquid mounted on said handle, a flexible conduit connected to said reservoir and having a discharge nozzle for directing a treating liquid to a predetermined point relative to said brush for treating operations, valve means between said reservoir and said nozzle for controlling the flow of treating liquid through said conduit, and means on said handle movable through a predetermined limited range for operating said latch means to permit said handle to be pivoted to its inclined position, said means being movable further in the same direction for opening said valve means to permit the flow of treating fluid through said conduit.

3. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a housing, a treating brush carried by said housing, a propelling handle pivotally connected to said housing for pivotal movement from an upright vertical position above said housing to an inclined position at one side of said housing, latch means operably associated between said handle and said housing for holding said handle in the upright vertical position, stop means on said housing for limiting the movement of said latch means to ward the unlatching position when said handle is in the vertical upright position, a reservoir for containing a treating liquid mounted on said handle, a flexible conduit connected to said reservoir and having a discharge nozzle for directing a treating liquid to a predetermined point relative to said brush for treating operations, valve means between said reservoir and said nozzle for controlling the flow of treating liquid through said conduit, and a single actuating means on said handle, movable through a first predetermined range limited by said stop means for said latch, for moving said latch means to inoperative position to permit said handle to be pivoted sidewise of said housing, said actuating means being further movable in the same direction after said handle has been pivoted to inclined position for opening said valve means to permit said treating liquid to flow through said conduit.

4. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a housing, a treating brush, a motor mounted in said housing operably connected to said brush for operating the latter, a propelling handle pivotally connected to said housing for pivotal movement between an upright vertical position above said housing and an inclined position sidewise of said housing, latch means operably assocated between said handle and said housing for holding the handle in upright vertical position, a switch for controlling the circuit to said motor, means connected to said switch and cooperating with said handle to open said switch when said handle is in the upright vertical position, a reservoir for containing a treating liquid mounted on said handle, a flexible conduit connected to said reservoir and having a discharge nozzle for directing a treating liquid to a predetermined point relative to said brush for treating operations, valve means between said reservoir and said nozzle for controlling the flow of treating liquid through said conduit, and a single means on said handle movable through a predetermined limited range for unlatching said latch means to permit said handle to be pivoted sidewise of said housing and movable further for opening said valve means to permit said treating liquid to flow through said conduit.

5. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a housing, a treating brush, a motor mounted in said housing operably connected to said brush for operating the latter, a propelling handle pivotally connected to said housing for pivotal movement from an upright vertical position above said housing to an inclined position sidewise of said housing, latch means operably associated between said handle and said housing for holding the handle in upright vertical position, a switch for controlling the circuit to said motor, means connected to said switch and cooperating with said handle to open said switch when said handle is in the vertical upright position, stop means on said housing for limiting the movement of said latch means toward the unlatched position, a reservoir for containing a treating liquid mounted on said handle, a flexible conduit connected to said reservoir and having a discharge nozzle for directing a treating liquid to a predetermined point relative to said brush for treating operations, valve means between said reservoir and said nozzle fior controlling the flow of treating liquid through said conduit and actuating means on said handle movable through a predetermined limited range for unlatching said latch means to permit said handle to be pivoted to inclined position, said actuating means being movable further after said handle is pivoted beyond said stop means for opening said valve means to permit said treating liquid to flow through said conduit.

6. In combination in a portable surface treating appliance, a supporting structure, a treating brush, a propelling handle connected to said supporting structure, a reservoir 'for containing treatingliquid mounted on said handle, said supporting structure having an annular flange extending outwardly over said brush and having a hole therein, a flexible liquid dispensing tube having one end connected to said reservoir and having a nozzle on its free end adapted to be inserted in said hole in said flange to direct treating liquid onto said brush, a supporting element having one'end attached to said nozzle and having attached to the other end thereof a deformable plug element of substantially the same size as the outside of said nozzle, whereby when said nozzle is removed from the hole insaid flange said plug may be inserted in and be frictionally held in said hole to thereby position said nozzle to direct treating liquid to a point beyond the outer periphery of said brush onto the surface being treated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain May 4, 1960